1. (Field of the Invention)
The present invention relates to a portable apparatus comprising a base and a flat-panel display which can be folded upon the housing, and more particularly, to a hinge mechanism for coupling the display to the base.
2. (Description of the Prior Art)
Recently, apparatuses such as personal computers and word processors have been miniaturized to a portable, hand-held size. Each of these portable apparatuses has a large, flat-panel display unit, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a plasma display. The flat-panel display unit is coupled by a hinge mechanism with the base of the apparatus, which has a keyboard and other components. The display unit can be folded upon the keyboard. When the display unit is folded upon the keyboard, the portable apparatus looks like an attache case and is compact enough to be carried.
The conventional hinge mechanism used in the portable apparatus of this type is made rigid and strong enough to prevent the flat-panel display unit from abruptly falling down onto the keyboard under its own weight. However, the hinge mechanism is too strong, making it difficult for the operator to open and close the flat-panel display unit. To make matters worse, the hinge mechanism is gradually worn as the display unit are repeatedly opened and closed, and there is the possibility that the display unit suddenly falls down onto the keyboard under its own weight. Such a sudden fall of the display unit may injure the operator's fingers or does damage to the keyboard or the display unit itself.